When I first started planning our trip to Montana’s Beartooth/Absaroka Wilderness I had no idea that it would be so difficult, yet so rewarding.

Northwest Backroads

After fishing for a few days and capturing some awesome images around West Yellowstone’s easy-to-access rivers, Madison, Gallatin and Firehole, we fished Hebgen Lake during early gulper season, (Great action!) then gathered our thoughts and began planning exactly what we would need for the 15-mile horse/mule pack trip.

This was no easy task -- no generators, no way of charging batteries. We had to fabricate a way to charge bats and keep our production team in the game.

After packing the bare necessities we trucked across the Beartooth Highway in Wyoming, shot a beautiful sunrise and continued to our meeting point in Cooke City. Once there we met our guide Denny Chaitlin (Rockin’ Seven C Outfitters), I knew this was going to be hard work so it was no surprise that in the first mile of the trip, my horse, acting a bit “anxious,” made life with a $100,000 camera aboard a living hell.

After I slipped and fell on some shale hustling for a shot, the camera took a pretty significant hit (it no longer worked) and I decided it would be best if I just put the camera away until we got to camp. (I later did a “field repair.”)

During the pack in, we were missing great stuff. Lightning and thunder (great video), trees cracking and toppling down (more great video), and all the point-A-to-point-B video I knew we would need. Denny calmly reminded me, "You ain't seen nothin’ yet!” With that I felt it was out of my hands and just enjoyed the rest of the ride.

Once we got to camp, it was more than I could have anticipated. The first night we slept under the most brilliant starlit sky I have ever seen. Wolves were howling in the distance. The sounds of the creek, wind in the trees and the fire cracklin’ just added to the vibe.

We spent a total of 19 days in Montana, most of which were spent in remote -- and I mean remote -- wilderness catching and releasing the most beautiful species of trout – the Yellowstone Cuttie.

We had the river to ourselves, ever mindful that it was in fact Grizzly country, and gathered spectacular video and film of the Absaroka Range, Frenchy’s Meadow and a little stream called Slough Creek. (The most prolific in the area, according to our sources.)

The group, 10 of us total, caught so many fish daily we couldn’t keep track. Some big, some small, but all provided great opportunities to show this place at its best on TV.

Believe me, it made for great video. It's a show you won't want to miss!